Model/data comparison of a sewage outfall in Puget Sound using ammonium as a tracer

Abstract

Modeling the effluent plume from the Renton Treatment Plant in addition to monitoring ammonium levels is one way to monitor the water quality of Puget Sound. The modeling was made possible using a Visual Plume (VP) computer model supplied by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The ammonium concentrations were found to be moderate. Although the VP model did not display the plume at the predicted depth, the ammonium analysis indicated the effluent plume was at a depth near 150 m.